Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Break the Formation and Leave

Facing Lu Ming’s probing, Zhou Luo went along with it, taking advantage of the mist blocking mental strength to set up two more formation bases.

Indeed.

As a top-level First Level formation master, how could he not know about true and false formation bases and multiple formation bases.

All his questioning was nothing more than to bring out those two formation bases he had set up himself.

Along the way, he had actually been closely observing the changes to the formation, and even took out his formation plate to deduce and calculate.

Of course, in the eyes of the two brothers Lu Ming and Lu Chou, this was merely routine action, so they never suspected anything.

It was not until they arrived in this area that Zhou Luo had almost grasped how the formation operated.

Therefore, after entering the mist, relying on his powerful control over formations, he added two more formation stones under the existing operational rules.

It was precisely the addition of these two formation stones that multiplied the formation’s power.

So much so that after Lu Chou destroyed the real formation base, the formation’s power did not weaken but instead increased.

Now, the formation base location Zhou Luo gave to Lu Ming was correct.

But how could he let the other easily destroy the formation base?

Moreover, he was still thinking of using this chance to weaken the opponent’s strength, and ideally forcing out his trump card.

Boom boom boom—

Not long after Lu Ming entered, continuous explosions sounded from within the mist.

Everyone tensed up.

They only saw spiritual lights flickering in the white mist, along with strange phenomena suddenly appearing.

Lu Chou looked anxious, itching to enter the mist to probe the situation.

"Could it be useless?" the burly man with a fierce face murmured softly.

If anything really happened to him, they might never be able to leave this place.

The others also felt extremely uneasy.

Only Zhou Luo sat cross-legged on the ground, meditating and regulating his breath.

Although the contingency he set up was very potent.

But how could a high-tier formation master from a long-life family die so easily?

After a quarter of an hour, the surrounding mist suddenly trembled and then gradually dispersed.

"The formation’s power has weakened," someone exclaimed excitedly.

The others were also overjoyed.

Soon, Lu Ming emerged from the mist.

But his appearance was not good at all.

His jade robe was torn and tattered, revealing severe wounds all over, the formation plate in his hand had vanished, replaced by a broken sword, and even his tied long hair was disheveled over his shoulders, looking thoroughly wretched.

Lu Chou quickly rose to greet him and supported him: "Elder brother."

Lu Ming’s breath was feeble as he gasped, "This formation is indeed unfathomable, yet fortunately, the outcome was good."

Lu Chou didn’t speak, only silently taking out a potion: "Elder brother, first stabilize your breath."

"Hey, why is the formation still here?"

Though the power of the formation had weakened, the formation still existed.

This naturally caused dissatisfaction among those cultivators.

They didn’t care what price Lu Ming had paid to break the formation; they only wanted to destroy it now.

Hearing these words, Lu Chou’s face flushed with anger, and he was about to argue.

But Lu Ming stopped him, saying weakly, "The formation bases in this formation are interconnected. Although we’ve destroyed formation bases in some areas, as long as the central hub isn’t destroyed, it will remain."

"Then you’re playing us for fools?" someone said sharply.

Lu Ming explained further, "The central hub is the most crucial and difficult part to destroy in the entire formation. We must first destroy the formation bases in other areas before we can address the central hub."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the cultivators present changed.

Someone called out directly, "It’s too troublesome. We lost most of our people just from one formation base, and now this central hub pops up. We quit—let us leave."

"Exactly, divide the contents of the storage bags and let us leave."

For a moment, everyone started to back out.

Even though this attempt to break the formation had failed, they hadn’t gained nothing.

Moreover, they could fully reap benefits without effort from outside, without needing to risk their lives again.

Seeing the crowd like this, Lu Chou was furious. If Lu Ming hadn’t held him back, he would have scolded them loudly.

After all, without them, these people wouldn’t have dared to even enter.

"Quiet," Lu Ming’s voice deepened slightly, his gaze sharp as he said word by word, "I won’t stop you if you withdraw, but I’ll just say this: the current formation is much weaker than before, and if we break through in one go, we can enter the valley."

"I know some of you want to enjoy the fruits of others’ labor, but I tell you it’s impossible. Because as long as the central hub isn’t destroyed, this formation will still exist."

"When the time comes, we’ll pass through the formation directly without destroying the central hub, and you will gain nothing."

"Besides, we agreed earlier that these storage bags would only be distributed after breaking the formation. If you retreat at the last moment, don’t expect to get anything."

"Whether to stay or go is up to you."

Lu Ming’s words were resoundingly firm, making those clamoring to retreat exchange uncertain glances.

Some showed a fierce look, contemplating direct robbery.

More hesitated, weighing the gains and losses.

Finally, that burly man spoke, "Damn it, since I’m here, I might as well stick to the path no matter what."

"Right, fight for nothing, gain nothing—I’ll take this gamble," someone echoed.

The others no longer insisted on leaving.

Because leaving now meant gaining absolutely nothing.

After calming everyone, Lu Ming ignored his injuries and continued leading the group toward another direction.

He worried that other formation masters might sense the weak power of the formation and try to claim a share.

So it was best to resolve this quickly.

Zhou Luo also followed silently in the crowd.

With two formation bases destroyed, the power of the formation had weakened noticeably, and everyone moved less arduously than before.

They proceeded until they reached the third formation base, where Lu Chou acted this time and destroyed it easily.

After destroying three formation bases, the power of the entire formation weakened again.

Instead of continuing to search for a fourth one, Lu Ming headed straight for the central hub.

If all formation bases were destroyed outright, the whole formation would become as if nonexistent.

Outside cultivators would then pass through unobstructed, giving away gains to others for nothing.

In the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Lu Ming found the central hub effortlessly.

He didn’t destroy it either, only taking out a formation plate to calculate the exit route.

After a long while, he pointed to a direction and said, "That should be the exit point."

Hearing this, the remaining eight cultivators became excited, their faces lighting up with joy.

Only Zhou Luo’s gaze grew deep and thoughtful.

Because he knew that direction was a dead end.

It seemed the brothers of the Lu Family were about to act against these people.

He didn’t make a sound, just silently followed the main group toward that direction, staying close to the two brothers all the time.

Lu Ming had no intention of shaking him off.

After all, he was only a middle-tier formation master at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement. Even injured, Lu Ming paid him no mind.

As before, those three walked at the back while others cleared the path ahead.

Thinking of the valley’s treasures ahead, those cultivators beamed with happiness, full of drive.

They didn’t notice at all that the footsteps of the three behind them gradually slowed.

Just as they were fully focused on countering the formation’s attacks,

Lu Ming and Lu Chou exchanged a glance, holding their formation plates, and suddenly turned sideways, vanishing into the mist.